WOMEN'S 6K RESULTS | MEN'S 8K RESULTS

MADISON, Wisc.- The UMass Lowell cross country teams traveled to the Midwest to partake in the Nuttycombe Invitational hosted by the University of Wisconsin on Friday afternoon. In total, 15 River Hawk runners competed across both the Women's 6K Championship and Men's 8k Championship events.
 
The women's race opened the afternoon for the River Hawks with graduate student Emily Sessa (Tewksbury, Mass.) leading the squad. Through the first 2000 meters, she sat just outside the top 100 runners, only 5.8 seconds off the top pace. The veteran would go on to finish 130th out of 267 racers with a personal-best time of 21:29.3.
 
Joining her classmate with a personal best of her own, graduate student Jenna Solimine (Haverhill, Mass.) finished in the 168th spot for the River Hawks. Shaving nearly a minute off her previous best, Solimine posted a time of 21:47.4 to clock in just 18.1 seconds behind Sessa. Solimine was followed by graduate student Kaley Richards (Lowell, Mass.), who finished the 6K race in 22:01.4 to close out the top three times for the River Hawks.
 
"The women struggled today. It was the first time they faced competition of this depth and quality," remarked Head Coach Gary Gardner. "They raced the top 30 teams in the country."
 
On the men's side, UMass Lowell's leader was graduate student Kyle Cloutier (Lancaster, Mass.), who finished 59th out of a total 227 runners. Cloutier ended the race with a 24:09.1 time, 57.9 seconds behind the first-place pace.
 
Graduate student Christopher Alfond (Ashby, Mass.) ran inside the top 50 through 2000 meters and finished in the top half of competitors, posting a race time of 24:33.5 to come in 106th. Rounding out the top-three finishers for UMass Lowell, senior Drew Everett (Amesbury, Mass.) crossed the end mark in 24:48.4 for the 144th spot.
 
"The men were a bit of a mixed bag. Kyle Cloutier ran very well," commented Gardner. "Chris ran great for the first half then had a tactical error. For the second straight meet, our team just got caught up in the pile-ups on the course."
 
The teams will race again next week on Friday, October 22, to take part in the CCSU Mini Meet in New Britain, Connecticut.